Marketing vs. Sales in 2019: It’s Not the Battle It Used to Be

For those of us in the business world we are used to seeing the long standing battle between marketing and sales. Marketing find the clients. Sales closes like clients.

A classic battle has always ensued between sales and marketing. Who is more needed? Who really drives revenue? And, the classic question many companies asked, are they really helping each other?

Over time though the world has changed.

What’s interesting is the two worlds are merging – or in many cases have merged – so we must think differently.

We sat down and talked with Will Rosebrock on the Great Sales Leaders Show and I am writing this piece to summarize for you some of the key points.

It Used To Be That Marketing and Sales Were Different

Back in the day marketing and sales were different. You needed to attract customers to your business then turn them into customers. It really was a two-step process.

But in today’s world it’s really a continuous process. Potential customers need to understand who you are and what you do and if it fits for their needs. And in many cases when a prospect calls you as a result of marketing efforts the sales process is nearly done.

With a correct marketing efforts the customer already knows you are the answer to their needs. No longer does the sales person have to spend a lot of time explaining who they are or what the product or service does.

Who You Market To Sets Up Who You Sell To

And in a similar vein who you direct your marketing to is key. Because who you direct your marketing to is who you are setting up to sell.

The two need to be coordinated. Who are you talking to and why? Who is going to buy your product or service? You need to market to them. And when they are ready to buy, guess what?

They know who you are, what you do and presumably trust you. You’ve already moved yourself most of the way to a closed sale!

Today’s Sales Target is Different

There used to be huge information gaps between the seller and the buyer. That’s why sales were so critical in prior ages. The sales person had to work with the prospect to bridge the knowledge gap.

Technology has changed this a lot. No longer does the prospect show up without details on the product.

Let’s think about a trip to the car dealer. In the 1980’s or 1990’s you might see an ad in a magazine or on TV but you’d show up at the car dealer with little real information on the car. The buyer would need a lot of education.

Fast forward to the modern era and a buyer can know the size of the car, the price (including a lot of information on dealer cost and profit), options, colors and reliability before they show up. A lot of the sale is done before the sale.

This is why it’s getting so important to get ahead on marketing – you’ve got to move the sales process forward before the sale starts.

Showing Who We Are Is Key

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

So buyers are used to knowing what they are buying before they buy in today’s day in age. We simply must show them who we are and critical details about our product and service before they show up.

Marketing is the key to this communication and we should be tuning it in so the buyer knows whether they are our target buyer before they show up.

There Are Critical Lessons For All Of Us

Will Rosebrock’s lessons are key for us. If we are going to optimize our businesses we need to make sure we understand how marketing and sales blend together. They aren’t opponents. They are friends.

By: The Our Shawn McBride who is constantly studying the Future of Business as the host ofThe Future Done Right(TM) Show. If you want regular content on the future of business subscribe to get new blog posts from ushere.

One of my recurring themes on Medium.com is looking at what words mean. Here are some prior articles on the subject:

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